Arab Spring good for Palestine

Ismail Haniyah Gaza - Mohammad Habib    In an exclusive interview to Arabstoday, Ismail Haniyah, the Palestinian premier in Gaza spoke of his party’s political will to engage with all Palestinian factions and start working towards national reconciliation. He pointed to the issues that are currently under review, such as the questions of passports and of political prisoners and also stressed that the West’s absence from the talks was the most important factor to achieve reconciliation. Above else he praised the Arab revolutions that have showed that Arab people have embraced both democracy and Islamist parties proving that the two are in fact compatible.   “There is a clear indication of the victory of the Islamists in most of Arabs elections, this proves that when people are free they choose what they think is the best program for them, so the anti-Islamic sentiment that has been encouraged has failed,” Haniyah said adding that he considered the Arab spring uprisings as positive to the Palestinian cause for varying reasons. AT: Do you think the implementation of the Palestinian reconciliation is possible this time? And do you think Fatah is serious about it? Haniyah: We hope that the seriousness and the political will are available in the reconciliation process, and to prove that, there are some issues that have to be solved such as the passports and the political prisoners. For Hamas the decision of the reconciliation is irreversible and we have the seriousness and the political will for it, but we also want serious steps from Fatah. I think Fatah is serious this time, we can find it in the meeting, but we want to be sure, Fatah will not accept any foreign interference, as we think the West’s absence is the most important factor to achieve the reconciliation.   AT: What if the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah backs negotiations with Israel? What will be your reaction and what of the reconciliation process then? Haniyah: We completely reject this negotiation, and the Palestinian Authority has tried it for twenty years, since Madrid and Oslo without any results. We hope that Fatah doesn’t make this mistake again. At the same time, we separate between the national relations and political choices, and we will work on the implementation of the reconciliation.   AT: Do you think Mahmoud Abbas is the person that you can deal with in the reconciliation, considering the great difference in ideologies? Haniyah: We don’t judge a man, we judge his politics. In my opinion, the political will is needed to achieve the reconciliation. For Hamas we have the political will for the reconciliation with Fatah, and Fatah has chosen ‘Abu Mazen’ to be its president and we respect this choice and deal with it. AT: Are you going to participate in the coming presidential elections? Haniyah: I think this is premature question, as we now concentrate on the reconciliation and its implementation, it’s still very soon to talk about the presidential elections and Hamas’ candidacy. AT: What if there is no progress on the political prisoners subject? Will the election be held as agreed by Abbas? Haniyah: The election is a very important step in this phase, as carrying it out it is the only way to transfer power peacefully, but the problem is, nobody respected the election’s result in 2006. But for the coming election, we hope it to be fair, and its result reflects what Palestinians really want. We also hope it will take place in May as was agreed. AT: How do you see the victory of Islamists in many Arabs elections after the Arab spring? Haniyah: I offer my congratulation to all parties that won elections in any Arab country, whether it was Islamists or not, because it’s what people wanted, and we respect people’s choices. On the other hand, I think there is a clear indication of the victory of the Islamists in most Arab elections which proves that when people are free they choose what they think is the best option for them. Trying to create an anti-Islamic feeling across the region has clearly failed and the overwhelming feeling is that the Arab spring revolts will undoubtedly favour the Palestinian cause. AT: Do you think the prisoner exchange deal had any indications that you can negotiate with Israel? Haniyah: There are conclusions to draw from the prisoner exchange. Along with the ability to negotiate, Hamas proved its ability in ruling and resistance. Palestinians also proved their respect in facing the blockade and the war to achieve their goals. AT: How do you see the blockade in Gaza now? And do you think your government can deal with it? Haniyah: The Gaza blockade is just a crime, because it was as a punishment aimed at Palestinians for choosing Hamas. It’s also against international law, which enshrines people’s freedom to travel and trade. But Palestinians face it and found ways to deal with it, and the government too. We, in the government, achieved progress despite the blockade and the war.